West Germany

West Germany, from 1949 to 1990, a republic consisting of the western two-thirds of what is now Germany. West Germany was created in 1949 when the United States, Great Britain, and France consolidated those zones, or portions, of Germany that they had occupied at the end of World War II. When West and East Germany were reunited in 1990, West Germany’s constitution and official name (Federal Republic of Germany) were adopted by the former East German state. SeeGermany.

Eden, Anthony: speech on relations with West GermanyBritish Prime Minister Anthony Eden commenting on the strong ties between western Europe and West Germany, represented by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, 1955.Stock footage courtesy The WPA Film Library